Family

"Your home should become a light that illuminates the entire street and community" — The Rebbe

A young father worked hard and had great success, but he seemed very sad. His father noticed this and stopped by to talk to him; the young man was surprised when, instead of asking about work, his father asked how much time he was spending with his family.

"With all the demands of this job, I have very little time for that," he replied.

"That sounds like what my father used to say," his father said. "Every day I would wait by the window for him to come home, and every day I would fall asleep before he came. For the sake of your children, and for the sake of their children, no matter how much work you have, try to make it home every night in time to tuck them in. You cannot imagine how much you will be doing for them — and for yourself."

The importance of home and family
Your home and family are your nest, the center of your life, the hub from which all your daily experiences extend. Both as children and adults, our home and family are where we should feel most comfortable in the world. They determine how you make your life decisions; they shape your attitudes, your awareness, your self-esteem. A healthy home life is obviously a vital ingredient in the pursuit of a meaningful life.

Harmony at home, within a family, translates into harmony between families and communities and nations.

How do you build a healthy home?
There are three key elements in building a peaceful home life: the relationships between family members, the atmosphere of the home itself, and the way the home is run.

When a family shares principles and values, they grow together. The home becomes a foundation for the family's shared sense of purpose while providing a springboard for each member to pursue his or her own goals. In such homes, families stay up late talking heart-to-heart about what's on their minds. Children crowd around grandparents to hear stories. Teenagers debate meaningful issues with each other and with their parents. The whole family gets together — and not just on holidays — for evenings of songs, games, and reminiscing. The home becomes alive, a source of energy and hope, of urgency and love. It is not the tranquility of a home that makes it peaceful; it is the life within.

The ultimate beauty in a home is its emotional and spiritual warmth. There are many ways to beautify your home spiritually, to invite G‑d into your home. Place a charity box in each room. Talk with your family about G‑d and our responsibilities as good-hearted people. Invite guests into your home, and allow it to be used as a place of study and prayer, or to hold charitable functions or community meetings.

A healthy home life is a vital ingredient in the pursuit of a meaningful life.

Each healthy home is a macrocosm of the entire universe, helping make the entire world a home for G‑d. Harmony at home, within a family, translates into harmony between families and communities and nations. When there is no harmony between people who are related by blood, how can we expect to create harmony between strangers?

After many centuries of exhausting journeys, it is time for all of us to come home — to ourselves, to our families, to G‑d. After the thousands of years of civilizing this world, after the millions of spiritual seeds that human beings have planted through acts of kindness, the time has come for this world to sprout like a garden — G‑d's garden, a universe filled with goodness and knowledge.

Make your home truly beautiful by introducing spirituality into your home, welcoming guests, and talking with your family about our responsibilities as good-hearted people. Your children will grow up to remember their home as a place of warmth and kindness, where people felt comfortable to gather and talk about things that mattered to them. In all likelihood, these children will grow into adults who will create the same sort of home.

A beautiful home must also be free from influences that can pollute its wholesomeness and spiritual grace — television, for instance. People today recognize the damaging effects that television has on impressionable children, and, for that matter, on teenagers and adults. A television must not be allowed to rule the home.

I am a puerto Rican, non-jewish person....and I appreciate the genius of the jewish culture and what it means to become a loving caring person , first to myself , my house hold and my community. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.....they inspire and motivate me to be consciencous in my words and deeds.....may you forever be blessed.
Reply

Celia LealSão Paulo, BrazilApril 30, 2007

Family
Dear Rabbis:

I deeply appreciated this article and it was a light for me and my son tonight. I stayed for over three hours reading the other articles and insights, based on the Rebbe´s teachings, and as usual they inspired me and helped me to rebuild my trust and have before me the transcendence of God´s love and care for us, which has always been taught by our Rabbis.

I can say that Chabad.org is an inspiring source of wisdom and love, of knowledge available to everyone of us who searches daily for a blessed word.

Toward a Meaningful Life gives Jews and non-Jews alike fresh perspectives on every aspect of their lives -- from birth to death, youth to old age; marriage, love, intimacy, and family; the persistent issues of career, health, pain, and suffering; and education, faith, science, and government. We learn to bridge the divisions between accelerated technology and decelerated morality, between unprecedented worldwide unity and unparalleled personal disunity.